Filtering apparatus.



PATENTBD- OCT. 13, 1903.

J. MILLER. FILTE'RING APPARATUS. APPLIGAITION FILED R0124. 19;]2.

so MODEL.

' ATTORNEYS ms norms Ptrzns no. Pnmuma. wasammum, n. c.

proved apparatus.

tic. 741,055.

JOSEPH'MILLER, on NEW YORK, N

ISAAC L. MILLER, OF PATERSON LEY, OF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

Patented October 13, 1903.

PATENT r, nss enoaor TWO-THIRDS TO NEW JERSEY, AND FRANK M. ASH-FILTERING APPARATUS.

S]? ECTEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,055, datedOctober 13, 1903. Application filed November 24, 1902. Serial No.132,635. (lie model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH MILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing in New York ments in Filtering Apparatus; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for filtering water in largequantities-as, for instance, in connection with waterworks for supplyingcities and other large communities, and it has reference particularly towhat are known as gravity-filters.

The principal object of the invention is to so construct an apparatus ofthis nature that not only in the operation of filtering and theoperation of cleaning or washing, which latter operation is usuallyperformedby revers ing the action of the filter, but even in the matterof construction sanitary principles will be in every way subserved.

My invention consists, therefore, in an improved filtering apparatusconstructed substantially as herein described and shown and as finallyembodied in the clauses of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein corresponding reference-lettersindicate like parts, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my im- Fig. 2 is aview of said apparatus, partly in side elevation and partly in section,a portion of certain piping being removed. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsectional view of said apparatus, taken on the line a; or, with the sandwhich forms the filter-bed and which is below the horizontal plane ofsaid line removed; and Fig. 4 illustrates a detail. In said drawings, a,is a tank formed of wood, metal, or other similar material, and b is anannular chamber disposed outside of and at the top portion of saidchamber and formed by a correspondingly-shaped wall 0. The water to befiltered is led into the tank from a pipe (1, which is connected withone of a series of radial pipes e, centering in a on the top edge ofsaid tank a.

hollow distributing-chamber f, which rests As is usual in this class offilters, communication between the supply-pipe d and the series ofradial pipes with which it communicates is controlled by a valve, whichis itself controlled by a ball-float mechanism g, which is adapted uponthe rise of the water supplied to the tank by said series of radialpipes to a cer tain level to cut oft the supply. Each pipe e is providedwith a series of downwardly-extending discharges h and twolaterally-disposed series of discharges i. By disposing the dischargesthus the force of the stream flowing from the pipes e is broken and thestreams are distributed over a wider area, and so the formation offurrows in the bed j of sand, quartz, or other finely-divided substance,which forms the filtering medium proper and with which the tank a isfilled up to approximately its top, is obviated.

' 7c and Z are two pipes which are disposed the one above the other andthe former of which is provided with parallel branch pipes or tubes on,while the latter is provided with parallel branch pipes or tubes n,alternating with said first-named branch pipes or tubes. Said pipes ortubes in all cases extend from the main pipe is (or Z) as far as thecircular wall of the tank a will permit, and they are provided withupwardly-extending strainers o and 10. One of these strainers is shownbest in detail in Fig. 4, where q is a substantially conical nozzlehaving a cap '2", drilled with perforations s, screwed onto its flaringend.

stand relatively higher from their pipes it than the strainers 0 standfrom their pipes an, so that their tops are all brought into onehorizontal plane; also, that just as many strainers as there is room forare fitted to the pipes m and n, so that there will be as littleunoccupied space as possible between them.

Around the pipes andl and their branch pipes a bed of cement s or othersimilar sub- 'It should be remarked that the strainers p 1 stance isthen filled in up to the plane of the tops of the strainers. On this bedof cement rests the bed j, composing the filtering material. It shouldbe remarked that the bottom wall tof the tank has its top surfaceslightly IOC dished, as at u, and that at its deepest portion it isprovided with a discharge '0 for draining off such water as in case thecement should crack and water find its way through it might otherwiseremain in the tank to contaminate the water filtered.

The pipes 70 and Z pass through the side wall of the tank a and arerespectively connected to the ends a and o of piping w, which preferablyat a point a: remote from the filter has communication with one arm ofacross y, the other arms of which are con nected with a discharge-pipe zfor the water filtered, an inlet-pipe 1 for the supply of water to beused in washing or cleaning the filter, and a pipe 2 for connecting theapparatus with the sewer. Communication between the portions it and '0,respectively, of the piping w is controlled by valves 3 and 4, while 5,6, and 7 are valves in pipes z, 1, and 2.

8 9 and 10 11 are valve-controlled tubes leading into the piping w onopposite sides of the point where it communicates with the cross y.

12 is a discharge for the chamber 1), leading to the sewer. Y

I will first describe the operation of the apparatus with reference tothe filtering. The water or other liquid'to be filtered being introducedinto the chamber ffrom pipe at is distributed therefrom over the entiresurface of the filtering-bedj by the perforated radial pipes e. Thewater then percolates down through the filtering-bed of sand or othermaterial used, finding its way into the pipes 10 and Z through thestrainers and the branch pipes into which they lead. Since the dischargefrom the tank is of course slower than the inflow, the water beingfiltered gradually fills the tank a, overflow being, however, pre ventedby the ball-float in valve-controlling mechanism 9. The water dischargedfrom the pipes 70 and Z is prevented from flowing elsewhere than out ofthe pipe z,which leads to the vessel for receiving the filtered water,by the closing of all of the valves except valves 3, 4, and 5. At thistime it should be remarked that the function of pipe 2 is to take offthe water which is first passed through the filter just after a cleaningthereof has been effected and which may carry more or less pollutionthereof with it. When the carrying away of this more or less pollutedwater has been effected, this valve 2, as well as all the other valvesexcept valves 3,4, and 5, is closed, as above stated, so that thefiltered water is taken to its proper reservoir.

In washing or cleaning the filter the action is, in effect, reversed.This operation may be variously performed. According to one methodvalves 6 and 3 and 4 (or either of the latter two) are opened. Waterthus enters from pipe 1 and passes by way of the pipe to into one orboth of the pipes and Z and from thence by way of the branch pipes ortubes and the strainers into the tank, where it forces its way throughfilter-bed j, carrying strainers, or vice versa, according to the mannorin which the valves are set, controlling the various communications withpiping w. I attach considerable importance to the feature of supplying agas in conjunction with a liquid in the washing operation, becausethereby all particles forming'the filtering-bed are agitated andotherwise caused to more readily yield up such pollution as may tend tocling to or gather on them. The gas supplied may be air, steam, ozone,&c. The

tubes 8 9 and 10 11 are for the introductionof the gas.

It has been proposed to use ozone for a purpose somewhat analogous tothat in which in the present case I employ it; but on account of thefact that no appreciable result-could be obtained from its use onaccount of the impracticability of the means heretofore employed for thedisintegration to which it must be subjected in order to serve thepurpose ozone has never been used, so far as I am aware, for the purposementioned to any considerable extent. I have found that by forcing itthrough a body consisting of comminuted particles, such as thefilter-bed of sand or other similar material of a filtering apparatus,this gas can be not only so disintegrated, but so disseminatedthroughout the tank as to subject every particle of pollution that maycollect on each particle of the filtering material to its action.

The filling in of the bottom of the tank a up to the tops of thestrainers with cement avoids the production of spaces in which pollution might otherwise collect and be difiicult to get at in cleaningthe filter. The cleaning can be effected in the present instance withgreat facility by simply removingthe sand and cleaning off the surfaceformed by the top of the cement and the tops of the strainers.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the receptacle in which the filtering is efiected,a filter-body in said receptacle, means for introducing into saidfilter-bod y the liquid to be filtered, series of parallel pipesdisposed under the filter-body in different horizontal planes, andstrainers extending upwardly from said pipes and having their tops insubstantially a common plane, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the receptacle in which the filtering is effected,a filter-body in said receptacle, means for introducing into saidfilter-body the liquid to be filtered, series of parallel pipes disposedunder the filter-body in difierent horizontal planes, strainersextending upwardly from said pipes and having their tops insubstantially a common plane,

and a filling substance occupying the space beneath said strainer-topsand unoccupied by said strainers, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the receptacle in which the filtering is effected,a filter-body,

disposed in said receptacle, means for introducing into the filter-bodythe liquid to be fil-' disposed in said receptacle, means forintroducing into the filter-body the liquid to be filtered, a pluralityof sets of piping arranged in said receptacle beneath the filter-bodyand in difierent horizontal planes, and each comprising a series ofbranch parallel pipes, the branch pipes'of the subjacent'series beingopposed to the spaces between those of the series 30 above them, andstrainers extending up- Wardly from said branch pipes and having theirtops in substantially the same plane, substantially as described. p 5.Inafiltering apparatus,thecombination, with the receptacle in which thefiltering is effected, of a filter-body disposed in said receptacle,means for supplying the liquid to be filtered t0 the receptacle, aplurality of sets of piping disposed in said receptacle beneath thefilter-body, a common water-supply pipe communicating with said sets ofpiping, and valved fluid-supply pipes communicating with each of saidsets of piping between said receptacle and the point of connection ofsaid 45 common water-supply pipe and said sets of piping, substantiallyas described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this22d day of November, 1902.

JOSEPH MILLER.

Witnesses:

J OHN W. STEWARD, DAVID H. BILDER.

